Alpha 19.7 is the last minor release before our next major planned update, Alpha 20, which has been in development since the beginning of the year.

Run Steam to update to Alpha 19.7, or buy Universe Sandbox ² via our website or the Steam Store.

In 1977, NASA launched the twin spacecraft Voyager 1 and 2 with the primary mission of exploring Jupiter and Saturn. The spacecraft sent back data and images that led to many discoveries about the two gas giants and their moons, rings, and magnetic fields. Then Voyager 2 went on to study Uranus and Neptune as Voyager 1 headed toward interstellar space. Today, the spacecraft continue to relay important scientific data as Voyager 2 explores the heliosheath and Voyager 1 heads farther than any human-made object in history.

Both Voyager 1 and 2 carry a copy of the famous “Golden Record.” These phonograph records contain a selection of images, sounds, and music meant to represent the breadth of life on Earth. As one of the curators for the record’s content, Carl Sagan noted, “The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced spacefaring civilizations in interstellar space. But the launching of this bottle into the cosmic ocean says something very hopeful about life on this planet.”

Check out the new Voyager model and sims in Universe Sandbox ²:
Add > Objects > Voyager 1
Add > Objects > Voyager 2
Home > Open > Historical > Voyager 1 & Jupiter in 1979
Home > Open > Historical > Voyager 2 & Jupiter in 1979
Home > Open > Historical > Voyager 1 & Saturn in 1980
Home > Open > Historical > Voyager 2 & Saturn in 1981
Home > Open > Historical > Voyager 2 & Uranus in 1986
Home > Open > Historical > Voyager 2 & Neptune in 1989
Home > Open > Historical > Voyager 1 & 2 + Solar System in 2017

Another spacecraft, Cassini, entered Saturn’s orbit in 2004 to continue studying the planet and its moons. And on April 13, 2017, NASA announced that they found evidence in Cassini’s data for some of the ingredients for life on Saturn’s icy, ocean-bearing moon Enceladus. NASA will continue to study Enceladus and other “ocean worlds” in the ongoing search for signs of life beyond Earth.

Check out the new high-res texture for Enceladus:
Home > Open > Saturn & Moons
Add > Moons > Enceladus

Also included in 19.7 is a new high-res texture for Jupiter’s moon Callisto, along with a few small improvements and fixes.

 

Check out the full list of What’s New.

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